2nd person dies after SoCal police car crash

LA HABRA, Calif. 
A second person died Monday after a police car rushing to pursue a parolee collided with another car at an intersection, authorities said.

Charles Antuna, 55, of La Habra died at UC Irvine Medical Center from injuries he sustained in Sunday's crash, according to the Orange County sheriff's office. His wife, Susanne Antuna, 54, died at the scene of the crash.

A La Habra police officer was on her way to help pursue parolee Roary Gorbea around 5 p.m. when she collided with the Antunas' PT Cruiser, authorities said. The police car was traveling around 50 mph and had its lights and sirens on when it hit the other vehicle, said police spokesman Lt. Tom Dutton. The officer was hospitalized in stable condition.

The officer was called to help pursue Gorbea after he fled and barricaded himself in an apartment building as police tried to serve a warrant, La Habra police spokeswoman Cindy Knapp said. He eventually surrendered and was arrested.

Gorbea had been convicted of shooting at a La Habra police officer, a police statement said, and the officers pursuing him knew this.

Dutton said Gorbea will likely be charged with murder for being the precipitant to the cause of the Antuna's deaths.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the collision.

One man who saw the accident said the police car appeared to be going faster than 65 mph, though other witnesses estimated to police it was only about 50 mph.

"The cop car flew through the intersection and hit a car straight on and flipped the car into the police department parking lot," Hugo Islas, 27, of Rancho Cucamonga told the Los Angeles Times. "I didn't understand why they were going so fast."